Odisha govt to set up fly ash park to control pollution

Bhubaneswar: The State government has proposed setting up a fly ash park in Angul district to combat pollution in the highly polluted region and promote value addition in the fly ash sector.

The government aims to contribute towards controlling pollution and save land resources required as effluent sites.

It would also encourage new start ups in the sector thereby contributing towards employment generation, said a letter sent by the ministry of micro small and mini enterprises (MSME) Additional Secretary P.S Mishra to the Angul district collector and the director of industries. The government expects that this will serve as a demonstration project that can be emulated in other regions housing thermal power plants in the country.

It is proposed that the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will provide land and basic infrastructure for the development of the fly ash park wherein the fly ash from NTPC and other corporate houses would be stored. The proposed common facility centre will pursue collection, testing, classification of various raw materials and effluents such as fly ash and sand, said the letter.

It said that the fly ash cluster will evolve into a role model cluster in terms of arresting environmental degradation, even while promoting value added manufacture from effluents by means of cooperative action. The implementation of the project will be on public-private partnership basis through local women self help groups.

This will not only create employment but also enable the women of the area to generate extra income through fly ash brick making. Angul district houses several MSME units and large steel and power plants including National Aluminium Company (Nalco), Bhushan Steel and Power, Jindal Steel and Power, Monnet Steel and Power and NTPC.